Escalating Affections
by Veneficus21
Summary: What if Hayate had met Hinagiku instead of Nagi on that fateful day? An HayatexHina fic. As of chapter 7 Upgraded to a light novel.
1. Chapter 1

Escalating Affections

Man, I've been planning this for way too long, and since I don't have my docs for my other stories I might as well work on this. This will be really fun because I can be the narrator in the story and torment- I mean help Hayate, yeah that's right. Help him. This story is obviously starting from the beginning, but I'm too lazy to read the first chapter so a couple of things might be different. Sue me, wait don't, it was a joke.

I don't own Hayate No Gotoku, and I refuse to call it Hayate the combat butler, because it just sounds stupid, and the series deserves better. Plus the pun is gone too, although I don't know what it was.

Chapter 1: You know those days where everything bad happens, but one giant good thing balances it out?

Hayate sat on a bench in the middle of a park, his face illuminated by the light emitted from nearby vending machines. It was snowing, despite this Hayate was only in a long sleeve shirt and pants. He looked in his pocket; he found just enough change to buy a coffee to warm himself up. As he stood up to buy it a crow swooped down stealing most of his change. "Why is there even a crow out here? It's winter." He said to himself in a depressed tone.

He sat back down on the bench. In the course of a few hours Hayate had lost his home and parents, acquired 150 million yen in debt, and he was now being chased by the Yukaza for his organs. "I'd say it can't get any worse, but I honestly think that's a possibility." His head sunk down, his face showing a mixture of depression and frustration. 'I need to make money fast, maybe I could kidna-' His train of thought was broken when he noticed the snow stopped falling on him.

He turned around to see girl, with long pink hair kept up by a golden hair band. She had golden cat like eyes and a cute but mature looking face. She was wearing a large brown coat with a long red and green scarf. The snow had been stopped by an umbrella that she held over his head. She starred at him, and he could only stare back.

"Ano, are you okay?" She asked. Her eyes showed worry.

"Y-yeah." He lied. She sighed and walked around the bench to the vending machine and bought a coffee, and handed it to him.

"Here, drink up. You must be cold." She said, with a polite smile.

"No, no I'm fine."

"I saw the crow." She said plainly.

Hayate sweatdropped, "T-thanks." He graciously accepted the coffee.

The girl took the seat next to him. Hayate flinched. 'Why is she so nice to me, do we know each other? '

Time passed as the two sat on the bench, Hayate quietly sipping his coffee, and the girl just watching him. Every so often he would look up to her, and when they're eyes met she would give a friendly smile. Hayate's face would flush every time. Her smiled warmed him up faster than the coffee ever could.

When he finally finished his coffee she bought two more. Handing him one, she slowly sipped hers.

"So I'll ask again, are you okay?" She had a very concerned look on her face. He wanted to say yes, but she probably would have left if he said that. And at that time loneliness was something he did not want.

"N-no, I'm not." He said quietly. He looked at his feet, his face showed great despair.

"Do you want to talk about it? That always helps me with my problems."

Hayate did want to talk about it, but he knew that he would sound crazy. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you." He laughed weakly.

"Try me." She said smiling that he decided to open up. "Are you running away from home?"

"No, it's more like the opposite. My family is gone; they left our apartment this morning." He said coldly.

The girl was in obvious shock, her golden eyes wide in response. "Can't you go back to your apartment? You still own it for a while, right?"

"No, my parents refunded our rent before they left."

"Don't you have any place you can stay?" She asked hopefully.

"No, I don't have any relatives I know of, and I just got let go on my job for being under aged."

The girl just sat there in shock. 'She'll probably just leave now; I don't think she wants to get involved with someone like me.' He thought sadly. 'Her company was nice while it lasted.' He winced as he waited for her to leave.

She stood up. 'I knew it.', he thought. She grabbed his arm and hoisted him up. "Let's go." She said grabbing him by the hand."

"What?" He said in a daze. "Where?"

"To my house. We have an extra room you could use."

"Wait you're going to let me stay with you?"

"Of course! I'm not going to let you stay out here and freeze to death." She said, almost angrily.

"But you don't know anything about me! What if I'm a killer or a rapist? You don't even know my name." He yelled.

She stopped tugging his arm. "What is your name, then." She asked calmly.

"Aiasaki Hayate." He said, thrown off by her bluntness.

"Are you a killer or a rapist by any chance?"

"Well, no."

"Then let's go." She began to pull him by his hand again.

'Maybe I shouldn't fight it' he thought to himself. As they began to walk Hayate shivered as a breeze hit them. She took notice and handed her umbrella to him. She began to take off her scarf. She wrapped it slowly around his neck; it was still filled by her warmth. As she tightened it she said, "By the way my name is Katsukura Hinagiku, just call me Hinagiku." She began to pull him again, Hayate now holding onto the umbrella.


	2. Chapter 2

I think I made Hinagiku OOC last chapter. –Sweatdrop- but I honestly think that she would do that. Come on, she's nice, mature, helpful, cute… I think that I should stop typing now. But I have to say one thing, this story is going to be a little dramatic, not as much drama as the comedy or romance portions but it will have drama. I mean for Christ's sake, he was abandoned by his parents, that's kinda harsh, isn't it? I know they play it off as a joke in the series but in real life (I'm going to try to keep this as down to earth as possible, but I have one robot battle planned) that's a horrible thing to do. Not to mention it happened to Hinagiku too. Danm, I just got pissed off. I better go punch some puppies to relieve the stress.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hayate No Gotoku, god. Now I'm gonna go cry in the corner.

Chapter 2: Do you think it would be odd if someone, who lived in a gingerbread house, said "Home Sweet Home?"

The two had arrived at Hinagiku's house, it was only a short walk from the park. He was a little stunned at her house it was quite big, of course it was no mansion, but to Hayate it was astonishing. 'A two story house, Victorian style?' He thought to himself.

His first step inside filled him with a sense that he couldn't describe, a sense of "home" which he had never felt before. It's what his homes always lacked. The two walk through a well furnished living room, complete with a T.V. and a piano.

They arrived at the kitchen. Nothing special, although it radiated the "home" feeling that Hayate was so fond of. In the kitchen was a lady, in her late forties. She had a mature face, and was in great shape for someone her age. The first thing that Hayate noticed was her short brown hair, not pink. "Maybe she gets it from her dad?" Although it was rather hard to imagine a strait man with pink hair.

"My, my," She said, "Hina-chan, I didn't know you had a boyfriend." She had brought her hand to her face, and tilted her head to the side, as if in admiration of her daughter's false achievement.

"Eh?" Hinagiku piped, a small almost non-existent blush formed on her cheeks. She let out a deep sigh, "Moh, Mom he's just a friend, and I have a favor to ask."

Her mom seemed to completely ignore her presence as she walked up to Hayate. She started to examine him closely. Hayate started to sweat, 'Maybe she can tell I'm bad trouble? Maybe she can sense all of the bad things that happen around me?' Hayate formed a small scenario in his mind. Her mother yelling at him to get out. Saying "How dare you try to bring your misfortune on to our family!" Accompanied by Hinagiku slamming the door on him.

"Hina-chan," She said in a cold tone, "He's perfect for you, and he's very feminine." She said with delight, grabbing on to his arm and resting her head on his shoulder. He didn't know whether he was insulted or complimented.

"M-Mom! You're not listing!" Hinagiku was obviously embarrassed by her mother's actions.

She finally got her mother to sit down and listen. She explained to her about his predicament, having no family or home to turn to. No one wanted to ask the fatal "Why did they leave?" Hayate was grateful, he knew if they asked that he might say something bad.

With no hesitation what so ever Hinagiku's mom accepted the idea of him living there. He was very grateful. "I will try to find an apartment and job as soon as possible." He said while bowing to the two.

This seemed to strike a chord with Hinagiku's mother. Her faced showed a smile, but it felt as if an ogre had just appeared. "Hayate-kun. Is there something wrong with my house?" Her head tilted slightly.

"N-No, your house is very nice." He was taken back at her sudden seriousness.

"Then why are you in such a hurry to leave?"

Hayate figured out that he must have insulted her or something. "Well, I just want to trouble you as little as possible." Trying to sound sincere as possible.

"Oh it's no trouble at all." She glared at him, tilting her face down and her eyes up slightly.

'What does she want me to do? Say I'll live here forever? Of course I wouldn't mind living in a nice home like this," He glanced over to Hinagiku. "Especially if it's with her…Ah what am I thinking!?"

Her glare was broken when she pulled Hayate away. They left the house and walked to what appeared to be another room offset from the real house. "This used to be my sister's room." She opened the door, some metal could be heard scrapping against the floor accompanied by the sound of bottles clanging together. "But she doesn't live with us anymore." Hayate took a look into the room. It was filled with alcoholic containers. Bottles and cans on every inch of the room.

"I take it she liked to drink?" He asked plainly.

"That would be an understatement." She sighed.

Hinagiku left, allowing Hayate to clean and organize his new room. It was well furnished, a bed, a bookcase, a dresser, desk and a chair. There was no bathroom connected to his room, it looked as if he would have to bathe and such in the main house. After cleaning, which were only a few minutes for Hayate, he proceeded inside asking where to dispose of the recyclables.

"Here I'll take care of them." She took the bags and handed Hayate some sheets and clothes. "These sheets are for the bed, they haven't been changed in a while. Those are some of my father's old clothes."

It struck Hayate, "F-Father?" He asked weakly.

"Yes?" She asked.

His eyes widened. 'Her father? Oh crap I didn't see him around but if these are his clothes then it's obvious he's here. No father would want a teenage boy living with his teenage daughter! He'll kill me.'

"Ano, Katsu-"

"Mou, I told you to call me Hinagiku." She had a cute pout.

"S-sorry, Hinagiku-san does your father know about my presence?" His face showed signs of anguish.

She looked peeved that he still added the san to the end of her name, but she dropped it. "My dad works very far away and he rarely visits. Even if he did object to you living here we could always sneak you back in without him knowing."

'How long do they expect me to stay here?' He wondered.

After changing his sheets Hinagiku called him out for dinner. His mother had made Udon. It was very good; it had been a while since he had a home cooked meal. He basically lived on instant nowadays. "This is very good Katsura-san." He said, while finishing his bowl. "Thank you for the meal." He said politely, accompanied by a bow. He proceeded to his room for the night, but he was stopped by Hinagiku's mom.

"Wait, Hayate-kun. You've been out in the cold all night. How about a bath?"

"That would be nice, thank you." He had taken a liking to her warm attitude, even if she was a bit off. She began to run him a bath while Hinagiku walked him to the linen closet to fetch a towel. As the two walked towards the bathroom Hayate noticed Hinagiku's room door. Her name hung in the middle, spelled out in large pink bubble letters. She took notice of his stare, she stood in front of the door placing her hands on her hips, don't get any ideas about going into my room without my permission. It's off limits." She glared at him as if she had already caught him in the act.

"D-Don't worry, I won't." He laughed slightly at her reaction.

The two had entered the bath, Hinagiku handed him a toothbrush before leaving the room. Hayate took a look around, noticing no sign of a male living in the house. No razor (well no men's razor), no cologne, and all of the products looked feminine. He let out a sigh of relief as he began to strip, laying his clothes in the hamper next to him. He sat in the bath letting the warm water wash away the stress he had built up that day. He looked at the available shampoo, a white bottle and a pink bottle. He chose the pink bottle, which smelled of strawberries. Before even applying any to his hands, he heard the door open. He ducked and turned around half expecting Hinagiku to tell him not to use that bottle. It was her mom, she closed the door and walked directly towards him.

Rolling up her sleeves she said, "Here, let me help you." In a polite tone.

"No thank you, I can do it myself." He had sunk as physically possible into the water at that point. His blush was mirrored by the water.

"Now, now, Hayate-kun you don't have to be so modest." She sat next to the tub, laying her legs to the side. "Or would you rather have Hina-chan help instead?"

The thought had never entered his mind, and now it was never going to leave. He tried his best not to visualize her in the bath with him, together in the tub. His face turned the shade of the bottle he held, which was taken from him by the older Katsura. She squirted two globs into her hand and proceeded to shampoo his hair. As she formed a thick lather began to ask things. Like his favorite foods, what he liked to do in his spare time, and about his school.

Hayate gulped as she got to the subject of school. He knew his parents; he knew how money hungry they were. They wouldn't spare his school tuition before bolting. He knew that he would have to kiss his school days goodbye.

"School was rather fun." He said dimly.

"Was? Did you drop out or something?" She didn't sound too concerned, as if she didn't believe him.

"Well I don't have the money for school anymore, but its okay. I have enough skills in other things to get by." If you didn't know him, he would've sounded like he was talking about rather dubious services.

"That's no good!" It seems as if the news finally hit her. "My husband and my daughter are both teachers and they told me the schooling is very important.

'Does that mean you don't take it seriously?' He asked himself.

"Maybe we could-" She was interrupted by the door opening.

"Mom, are you in here? Did Hayate-kun finish…" Her shocked expression finally turned into a glare. She marched towards the two, and grabbed her mother, physically lifting her out of the room. Yells could be heard from the other side of the door.

"Mom!? What are you doing!?"

"My, my, Hina-chan I never thought were the jealous type."

"J-Jealous, I'm not jealous!"

Hayate, in full blush, finished his bath as quick as possible and even got dressed before the argument ended. "Ano…" He stood in the walkway, which was blocked off by the two.

They both looked at him, Hinagiku wearing anger and a blush, and her mother wearing a delighted smile. Hinagiku quickly turned away and walked into her room, slamming the door. Hayate stood there in shock. "Is she angry at me?" He pointed to himself while asking.

"No," She said politly, "Hina-chan said that it wasn't appropriate for the two of us to by doing that."

'Please don't say that as if I was doing something wrong.' He thought to himself.

"Hina acts too mature for her age sometimes, she needs to loosen up." Her mother looked slightly distressed. "I'm worrying that the school is turning her into and adult too fast. You see she's the student council president of Hakou academy. She constantly has pressure on herself, she rarely ever goes out with her friends. " She seemed to be very worried of her daughter's condition.

'So she's the president of her school, huh? I think it suits her. She seems very smart, mature, cute… wait, cute? Well she is a very beautiful girl, ah what am I thinking." Hayate shook his head trying to get the image of her soft smile out of his mind.

"Hayate-kun?" She asked softly.

"Y-Yes?" Her sudden question shocked the image out of his head.

"Please try to get along with Hina-chan." She winked, and left for her room.

Hayate did want to get along with her, she had basically just saved her life, he was very indebted to her. He left for his room, and got into his bed. He laid his head on his pillow trying to go to sleep but it was a little too early, and he didn't have anything in the room to occupy his time. He sat up, his back against the headboard of his bed. His thoughts had shifted back to his school. "School huh? Maybe I could go back there someday." He suddenly remembered his 150 million debt. "Maybe I should work on that first." He slumped his head back down.

Ah hour or so had passed and Hayate still couldn't sleep, every time he did his misfortune would come to mind, or sometimes Hinagiku's face would. He would always shake his head in frustration thinking 'This is no time for girls, I need to get a job.' But it wasn't that easy to get her out of his head.

Hayate suddenly felt an extreme cold on his face, causing him to jump out of his bed. He looked to the side, seeing a can of juice. He looked up to see Hinagiku, giggling at his sudden actions.

Well that's chapter 2, yay! I wanted to get all of the introductions and descriptions of Hinagiku's house out of the way. Mission accomplished. Now the next chapter is going to be shorter and a little dramatic. Well I did say this was going to be more down to earth then the actual manga. Thanks to the reviews, and to Tracer Cain DC I've read up to chapter 141 and I've read chapters 214 to 219. I meant I was too lazy to go research the first chapter, I just did it off of memory. Thanks and please review.


	3. Chapter 3

A Hayate No Gotoku trading card game? Badass!

A half naked Hinagiku card with incredible stats? FTW!

It's in Japanese, and is never coming to America? NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

But, of course, Japan gets all the cool stuff.

Disclaimer: I do not own Hayate No Gotoku, but seriously I'll give you 20 bucks for it. 30?

Chapter 3: Heartfelt conversations don't happen in real life, right?

"Hinagiku-San?" Hayate squeaked, as she walked in, sitting next to him on the bed. "What, What are you doing here?"

Hinagiku looked slightly angry, possibly because of his reaction or that he still addressed her as "Hinagiku-San"

"I saw your light still on, I thought maybe you couldn't fall asleep" She handed him one of the juices she brought.

"Thanks." Hate graciously accepted her gift. Sitting next to him, although a tad too close for Hayate's comfort, she happily sipped her juice.

"So... what did you and my mom talk about?" He almost choked on his juice upon hearing those words.

"Excuse me?"

"Don't dodge the question! What did you two talk about?" She was obviously still angry.

"Well she just asked about small things like my favorite foods, my hobbies, and... school." He regretted pausing before he said school.

"What's wrong with school?" Hinagiku obviously caught that.

"Nothing's wrong with school?" He was a horrible liar.

"Hayate, don't lie to me." The scene was similar to a mother scolding her sun.

"Well I don't think I can go back anymore." He talked as if he was joking. But Hinagiku said nothing for a while, and with each passing second Hayate became more and more nervous.

"What do you mean you can't go back, d-do you..." She seemed to be struggling, looking for the right words. "Do you feel embarrassed about what happened?"

For a long time Hayate was silent. 'Of course that's not the reason I can't go back, it's the debt of course. But what she just said, I don't know anymore.'

Hinagiku looked at his face, which was obviously full of confusion. "S-sorry about asking weird things."She said as she turned her flushed face in the opposite direction of Hayate.

"No it's okay, that's not the reason why I can't go back." He decided to tell her the truth. "My parents refunded my tuition for school. I just don't have enough money to go back." He sighed.

Again Hinagiku took a long pause before replying. "You still want to go to school right?" She was still avoiding his line of sight.

"Well... I do." His nervousness reappeared as he notice that she was looking away.

"Well then that's decided, you're going to Hakou academy."

"T-to where?" His voice felt dry as he asked.

"To my school, I'm the student council president there."

"Thank you for the offer, but there is no way I'll allow you to pay for my tuition for school."

"I don't have to pay... my sister is a teacher there, between the two of us I'm sure we can get you enrolled into the school."

He was shocked, her kindness was so foreign to him. Never has he been exposed to so much benevolence. "I d-don't know what to say." He leaned over and rested his elbows on his knees.

-Drip, Drip-

Hinagiku turned around to the source of the sound. Hayate was crying.

"H-Hayate w-what's wrong?" She said, flustered.

"Hinagiku, I'm sorry. It's just, no one has been so nice to me before." He rubbed his eyes with the sleeve of his shirt. "I'm just so glad, I guess."

Her worried face turned into her natural soft smile. "Don't get too happy yet, you have to take a tough entrance examine." She wagged her finger in front of his face like a playful teacher.

"I won't let you down, Hinagiku-sa-" He fave a small cough to clear his throat. "Hinagiku." He smiled at her, despite the tears slowly running down his face.

Her cheeks turned a burning pink color, and she quickly turned her head. "You better not, I don't want to tarnish my word." She stood up grabbing Hayate's empty drink. She walked towards the door. "By the way," She didn't turn to face him. "what do you plan to do tomorrow?"

"Eh... Well I was planning to look for a job, but I guess I'm looking for a part time job now." He laughed lightly.

"Well... good luck. I guess I'll see you when I get back from school tomorrow." She stood there, it seemed like she wanted to say more.

"Hayate..."

"Yes Hinagiku?"

"...It's nothing, please get some rest. You've had a rough night." She opened the door, but before closing it she quickly turned around and said, "Good night." And she shut the door before he could reply.

He sat there going over the events that had just happened. 'This girl not only save my life but she just saved my future too. It's decided I will buy her a present with my first paycheck.' He turned of his light and went under his covers. 'But what to get. Maybe I'll ask her mother tomorrow.'

Chapter 3 complete, yay! Well that was actually easy to write, meh I'm not good a judging difficulty. Next chapter Hayate goes out in search of work, but he gets sidetracked. Well he wouldn't be Hayate if he didn't get sidetracked.


	4. Chapter 4 Part 1

Yeah… I originally had a lot of crap to say, but it was longer then the freaking chapter. So to summarize:

1. I'm sorry for being late, I've just been lazy.

2. Anonymous reviews are annoying because I can't talk to you guys.

3. Get an account, it takes 5 minutes.

4. Hina No Ecchi is no longer a oneshot, but I need your guys help if you want me to write more.

5. Sorry for splitting this chapter, expect the 2nd half this week.

* * *

Chapter 4: Part time jobs are annoying; it's a lot easier to just be rich. Part 1

-Knock, knock- "Mmm..?" Hayate groaned lazily. He flipped over, onto his back, looking strait up at the ceiling. The colors were foreign to his memory. "Umm… where am I?" It took him a while to realize he was not in his room. His first though was, 'D-did those "Nice People" find me.' He looked down, his arms weren't chained up, he quickly took off his shirt looking for new scars. 'Phew I still have my organs.' –Knock, knock- He jumped out of his bed, rubbing his eyes, as he walked to the door. As he grabbed the handle all of the events that happened in the pass few hours flew into his mind instantly. He knew who would be on the other side of the door. Quickly Hayate turned to the mirror striating out his bed head and rubbing the sleep from his eyes. A third knock and Hayate quickly turned back to the door, opening it with a smile.

"Good morning." He said cheerfully.

"Good morning Hayate-kun." Hinagiku's mother replied, much to Hayate's dismay. His smile quickly faltered as he realized Hinagiku did not wake him up. She sensed this, "My Hayate, are you that troubled to see me in the morning... or are you just heartbroken that I'm not Hina-chan?"

She hit the mark. "N-no, I'm not troubled." He took a step back, in fear of her esper abilities.

"Ah, to be young again…" She began to drift off in nostalgia.

"I said it's not like that!"

* * *

After showering and changing, into borrowed clothes, Hayate arrived downstairs to the sweet smell of breakfast. On the table was a bowl of steamed rice, grilled fish, an omelet and several other dishes. "Thank you Katsura-san." He happily sat down, ready to eat.

"Your welcome, but please call me Motoko, or even Okaa-san if you want." She shot a wide smile at him.

"Ano, if it's fine with you I prefer Motoko-san." He sweatdropped at her bluntness.

* * *

"Thank you for the meal Motoko-san." He brought his dishes to the sink, preparing to wash them.

"You really shouldn't thank me; Hina-chan prepared it for you." He was a little shocked. "Usually I cook breakfast, but she said she wanted to prepare it for you, saying you have a busy schedule today."

"That's right; I was going to look for a part-time job today." He quickly ran to the paper, grabbing a pen. A half an hour later he had circled three potential jobs. 'Well one of these should be perfect, they're close by, with decent pay, and they even have apartments near by.' Motoko leaned in, her head over Hayate's right shoulder. "What was that last part?" Her voice sounded dry. He jumped back, "Are you really a esper?"

"What? I just thought I herd something, which made me really angry. I guess it was just my imagination." She began hum and clean dishes. Seeing this opportunity Hayate bid her a farewell and left the house.

* * *

Stay tuned for part 2, which will be out later this week. Thanks for reading and reviewing.


	5. A quick update

Yeah… update. So I have seen that this is getting a lot of traffic and you guys are probably a little pissed at the lack of updates. Sorry about that, I do plan to write, I'm not stopping or on hiatus. At the moment I have a sever case of "Senioritis" or lazyness. Plus I'm applying to college, designing a house, and am a bunch of hard classes this year so pleas bear with me. I will no longer give any dates, cause last time I said next week but it's been like 3. Maybe as a teaser I'll just tell you that I am using a certain NEET the originally wasn't in the story. Guess who it is.

On a separate note, I would like to thank all of you who got an account. I have a lot more review with accounts then before. Thank you, you all for reading and reviewing.


	6. Chapter 4 Part 2

Whoa, there it's been forever and a half since I've written. So I apologize if you've been waiting. Well enough of that. Let's go!

Disclaimer: I do not own "Hayate No Gotoku" or any related characters, but neither do you so were even … for now.

* * *

Chapter 4 Part 2: Part time jobs are annoying; it's a lot easier to just be rich.

Hayate walked down the street happily, things finally seemed to be going his way. He had brought out his list; his three potential jobs were a waiter, delivery boy, and a cook. 'Well first is the waiter job.' It took him a few minutes to reach his destination. The restaurant was rather nice, some sort of French bistro. It was level of expense was way above Hayate's wallet, but he was confident about getting the job, after all this would be the 7 time since he started working (Age 6) that he has been a waiter.

The host looked rather hardened. His eyes showed a menacing glare when the connected with Hayate, which sent a shiver up his spine. He had a large scar down his cheek further increasing his character. It almost ran up to his clean shaven head.

"You!" Hayate jumped. "You're here to apply for the waiter job!" Hayate was dumbfounded. "How could you tell?"

"How could I, well just look at you're face. No one that poor looking could possibly afford to eat here!" He was practically yelling at him. Hayate brought his head down in despair. "Don't worry boy, I was once like you. But a boy has to start somewhere to become a man." Hayate looked up to the host in awe. "So boy are you ready to begin your path to manhood!?" His yells had become louder and louder the longer he spoke.

Hayate, completely infatuated with the host's enthusiasm, answered back, "Yes, sir!" as he stood at attention. "Good, good, your first trial begins now. Go in the back and change into one of the spare tuxedoes. You'll be on French Service today."

Narrator: Now you experienced caters don't need an explanation of "French Service," but for those who aren't, "French Service" is where the server has to carry a huge platter with one hand with enough food for 2 or three tables. And in the other hand he has to use a combination of a large spoon and fork to tong the food from the platter to the plate. It's incredibly hard to do, and some have even cried while having to do it. On with the story…

Hayate came out of the room roaring to go. He lifted the platter as if it was air, and quickly served the tables. He was courteous and efficient, he even chatted pleasantly with some of the guest.

"Excuse me, waiter! Could I get some more vegetables?" Hayate effortlessly spun on his heels to face the guest. "No problem." Hayate brought more food to the plate, as he did he leaned closer to the customer.

"Hmm… hey do I know you from somewhere?" Hayate glanced up to the customer, and his eyes went wide. It was the Yukaza, the very three guys who had tried to kidnap him yesterday. He quickly turned around, and walked to the kitchen saying, "No, I don't believe we've met." He tied to walk away as calmly as possible, praying that they didn't notice him. But then he heard the distinct noise of 3 men standing up at the same time. He dashed to the changing room, setting the platter down, he turned around trying to lock the door. There was no lock.

"Why doesn't a changing room have a lock?" Hayate yelled.

"Men don't need locks if they don't have anything to hide!" Hayate turned around to see the host; he was leaning out the window smoking. "What are you doing back in here boy? Are you quitting already?" He was looking outside the window, and took a puff of his smoke. The door began to bang and you could here yells on the other side.

"Well to make a long story short, those men want to hurt me." He held his back against the door. The host to one last puff and tossed it to the side. He walked to the door and put his arms up to it. "What is your name?"

"Huh, it's Ayasaki Hayate." He was confused why he would ask something like that at this time.

"Well Ayasaki-san, leave." He pushed him to the side. "Grab your things and go, your path to manhood doesn't lie hear." Hayate understood, but just before he hopped out the window he asked, "May I ask for your name?"

"Iwoa Yuudai, now go Ayasaki-san, become a man among men!" Teary eyed, Hayate jumped out the window running.

* * *

Somewhat of a dramatic chapter, although it was for comedic affect. This was fun to write and all but I really want to finish this part up so I can get into more HayateXHina fluffy goodness. Ugh~ I'm so girly some time I make myself sick. BTW I'm a dude. Whatever, thanks for reading and don't forget to review, oh and I promise I'll start updating more. I have time now.


	7. Chapter 5

Um… yeah. I'm sorry about not updating, actually I shouldn't really be even writing now, but I really feel bad making you guys wait. I had some stuff I had to do with school and all, not that you guys really care.

Many have you have made assumptions/guesses in the reviews, so here are some spoilers to see if you were right, if you do not wish to read them please move on to the bolded/underlined text. I'm the type of person who reads spoilers so I'm giving you guys an option here.

* * *

Spoilers:

1. Hayate will meet up with Nagi.

2. Hayate will not be a butler.

3. I would not consider this a short story; we still have a lot more to go.

4. Hayate will meet his parents in this story.

5. I'll probably throw in an H-scene.

* * *

**Disclaimer: I don't own Hayate No Gotoku, and if I did Ayumu would kill me due to all of this HinaxHayate fluffy goodness, which sadly isn't in this chapter. DX

* * *

**

**Chapter 5: There are more important things in life then money, but it ranks in the top 3 for me.  
**  
A dark cloud of depression hung over Hayate's head, as he walked down the street. After the fiasco at the Bistro, Hayate made it to his next job, apparently the deliveries he had to make weren't the kinds he made before. Hayate shivered when that thought crossed his mind.

The thirdr job was actually perfect. The pay was good, it was nearby the house, the staff was nice, and it had the perfect hours for a student. But of course it couldn't be that simple, because the "Nice People" from before had made it pass Iwoa and followed him there.

"Danm that bastard nearly killed us." Said unnamed thug number 1.

"If I had known he was behind that door I wouldn't have been so eager to get in." Said unnamed thug number 2.

"Hey isn't that the kid we're after!" Unnamed thug number 3 pointed towards a small diner. That diner contained an ecstatic Hayate, who was moments away from being hired.

"Hey! It is, good job unnamed thug number 3!" Said unnamed thug number 1

"Wait, what did you call me?"

"What? Um… nothing."

"Ugh, it's his fault we can't eat at our favorite restaurant anymore. He should just go to hell!" Unnamed thug number 2 proceeded to light a Molotov cocktail and throw it at the small diner.

"Unnamed thug number 2!? What are you doing, we needed to capture that guy! How are we supposed to do that now!?" The trio proceeded to run away as sirens could be heard off in the distance.

"Sigh, it was such a good job too. At least no one was hurt, and the owner said he took out a huge policy a few weeks before." Hayate, defeated by fate, started to walk home. "I'm used to these things happening, but I wish it would just go my way for once. I really don't think I can look Hinagiku-san in the eye when I get back." He saw her smiling face in his head, which he hung back down in shame.

* * *

Hayate, wanting to postpone his return, decided to walk a longer route. He noticed that a large wall had been on his side for quite a while. When he eventually met the gate of the wall, he let his curiosity go and peered inside. A large mansion was far off in the distance, beautiful, large, clean, a place he could never hope to enter.

"Whoever owns that house is the complete opposite of me." He let out a weak laugh.

He stood there for quite some time. Until from inside the mansion a explosion erupted, loud enough to hear from miles away. Although the explosion could not be heard, anyone could tell that a catastrophe had just occurred.

"Um… It's best if I just leave, I don't want to get caught up in something again." But before he could leave there came a women's scream, more explosions, the roar of a tiger, an old man crying in pain, and it all finished with the scream of a small girl.

"… That definitely sounds like trouble I don't want to get into."

He turned around and hopped over the massive gate.

"I should just go back and face Hinagiku-san."

He sprinted towards the mansion.

"I'm sure rich people like them can just solve all of this on there own."

He kicked down the door.

* * *

Yeah these are getting short, but It's better than nothing. Longer chapter's just mean there is going to be HayatexHina. The next chapter is short too, but the one after that is long. Sorry again for the lack of updates.


	8. Chapter 6 Part 1

Yeah I know, "Err! Vene, you never update!" Sorry about that, but things come up. I am seriously committed to this story. The only thing that will stop me from finishing it is death, dramatic I know. One of the reasons this is late, I had planned uploading this a week earlier, I was having Microsoft Word Issues, and no I don't like open office. Please read the end note.

* * *

**Chapter 6 (Part 1): Heartache upon heartache isn't good for your heart.**

* * *

Hayate quickly assessed the situation, there were two screaming girls, a child and an women who seemed slightly older than himself. Next to the pair was a large white tiger. It was ferociously looking at what seemed to be a very badly designed battle robot. He quickly brought his attention to the tiger, stepping towards it.

'Obviously this is the assailant in this scenario, and that robot must be guarding them.' He took a step closer. 'I know it's a tiger, but with the help of that badly designed robot, I can probably subdue it.

"Stand down tiger-san! I know these people took you away from you're family but that is no reason to kill them!" He brought his hands up, ready to attack.

The room fell silent. Everyone, including the tiger and the badly designed robot sweatdropped.

"… Am I mistaken?" He laughed weakly.

"O-Of course you're wrong, baka!" The little girls blonde pigtails shot up with her anger.

"Eh! But that's a tiger-"

"What tiger! Tama is just a large cat!" She said, cutting him off.

"Large cat! But he-" He was interrupted by a large clicking noise. He turned to see a barrage of missiles heading towards him. He back flipped out of the explosion landing besides the pair of girls.

"Why is you're security robot attacking you?" He asked while catching his breath.

"What security robot?" Asked the small pig-tailed girl. "That's obviously a nursing robot!" Hayate's face showed complete disbelief.

"Ano…" The maid interjected. "Maybe we should talk about this after the threat is taken care of." She motioned to the ignored robot.

"Yeah… maybe you're right…" He turned towards the "Nursing" robot. "Excuse me, but why are you attacking?"

The robot proceeded to tell a long story about being defeated and then being scrapped by his inventor, who he had fallen in love with. While this was going on Hayate quickly unscrewed every piece of metal holding the robot together. And even before he could finish his story Hayate took out his motherboard and proceeded to break it in to pieces, ultimately stopping the robot from ever coming back into the story.

"That seemed uncharacteristically animalistic." Said the small pigtailed girl, solemnly.

"Err, well it was just a robot." He rubbed the back of his head nervously.

She sighed. "But you did save the both of us, so you do deserve some sort of reward… um, what is you're name?" She put out her hands, as if doing this was a hassle.

"Hayate Aiasaki." He seemed out of place within the foyer of the mansion.

"So Hayate, My name is Nagi Sanzenin, and this here," She motioned to the young maid next to her. "is Maria, my personal maid." Hayate looked towards her, she just smiled back.

"N-Nice to meet you." Hayate was a little surprised by her beauty.

Nagi noticed his stare, she proceeded to stomp on his foot. "Hey hands off." The shock of the pain caused him snap back into reality.

"So Hayate if you wouldn't mind, would you decide on you're reward. It's getting pretty late, and I don't want to miss the late night anime."

"Um… what reward are you talking about?" He honestly didn't know what was going on.

"Well you just saved our lives, don't you think that constitutes a reward? As you can tell I am very wealthy, whatever you're heart wants we can get you." Hayate looked up to Maria to conform if that was true, but again his foot was stomped on.

"Of course she's off limits." Nagi said spitefully. Again, Hayate shrugged off the pain and laughed nervously.

Hayate thought for a second. "You wouldn't mind giving me 157 million yen, would you?" He laughed at the ridiculous idea.

"Here you go." She held up a briefcase.

"EH! But, but, that's so much! And why do you have that exact amount in that briefcase!"

"Oh don't be so modest Hayate-kun." Said Maria, "This is only a fraction of the amount we have paid Nagi's past saviors." Nagi tried to hand him the suitcase.

"Just don't do something stupid and spend it all in one place."

'What could I even buy that's worth 157 million!' He thought.

"Just take it already, my shows start soon." She shoved it into his chest and proceeded to walk away. Hayate didn't move though. Noiticing this she walked back to him, "What's wrong, do you want more. I thought the amount was too-" She was cut off by his sudden embrace. Hayate tenderly hugged the little girl, with all his might. At first she tried escape his grasp, but eventually Nagi, whose face was engulfed by a blush, said nothing, and did nothing. She decided that instead of yelling or screaming, that this hug would just another part of his reward. Eventually Hayate pulled back, noticing her rabid blush, he quickly apologized. Nagi despite her embarrassment noticed the tears streaming down his face.

"W-What is it now?" Her blushes cause changed from embarrassment to worry. Hayate took a long sigh, before proceeding to tell her about the past few days, leaving out last nights events.

"Wow your life sucks." Said Nagi bluntly.

"Yeah~" Hayate could only agree. Nagi looked at Hayate for a moment, and then brought her hand to her chin, as if pondering an idea.

"You still need a job right? I think you've proved your skills today, maybe you could… become my butler?" She looked away, but you could see the blush from her ears.

"A… butler?" He imagined an old man in a tuxedo, cleaning.

"Well you know, someone to take care of me, clean, protect. The pay is good, and you could live here too!" She put her hands on his shoulders, practically yelling the last part.

"Are you sure?" He said hesitantly.

"O-Of course I am! Ahem... Hayate Aiasaki, Will you become my butler?" Hayate's eyes widened.

'I don't know why, but that phrase... it makes my head hurt.' He knelt down, holding his head.

"Are you okay?" Nagi started to freak out.

He stood up. "No, it's nothing. It just what you said... brought up some bad memories." He smiled to show her he was alright.

"Worse memories than the past few days? That's rough."

'But putting that aside, this is perfect, I already know how to cook and clean, the pay is good too. I can even live… here. Wait… why does my heart feel heavy again.' Hayate closed his eyes and brought his hand to his face.

'This is what I wanted right, I wanted to leave as soon as possible. I don't want to impose on that family anymore than I am.' All he could think about was that house. How it felt to be in a real family. How it felt to be with Hinagiku.

'So why can't I say yes. I have to say yes.' He winced and clenched his teeth.

"... I can see that that this is troubling you, the offer will still be open for a few more days. If you change your mind, you know where to go."

"Thank you Sanzenin-san."

"Nagi is fine, I mean you saved my life and all."

"Err- Thank you Nagi-chan."

"I-It's getting kinda late, maybe you should head back now."

Hayate waved goodbye, right after fixing the door he had kicked in.

* * *

Nagi climbed into bed, next to Maria.

"So Nagi-chan, shall I put off Klaus' search for a replacement, now that you have found someone capable like Hayate-kun."

"... No, keep searching. He won't accept it. Whether it's because he doesn't want to be a butler or he doesn't want to leave where he is now. But I know, his place isn't in this Mansion."

"...My, Nagi-chan, such a serious speech, if it wasn't so long I would have thought it was a quote from an anime."

"Wha-What are you talking about! I'm serious all the time! She waved her arms up and down in furry.

* * *

Part 2 of this chapter is short, but I wanted to upload something today.

Yeah I really, really, REALLY hate #8 so yeah, he's dead.

Also, this may have a impact on the story so please answer this question in the review:

_**How do you guys feel about OC's (Original Characters)?**_

I'll add one more for sure, maybe another one If I get a good Idea, I'm just wondering how my audience felt about it. Thanks for reading, and don't forget to review.


	9. Chapter 6 Part 2

This would have been here a lot sooner, but I just got Final Fantasy XIII… that pretty much explains it.

Also this may not be my best chapter, I might edit it before the next post. But I had upload something today.

* * *

_**Chapter 6 Part 2: Long walks seem longer when you have something to think about**_

* * *

Hayate walked down the street, slowly swinging his briefcase on his side. It didn't even bother him that he was walking home in the middle of the night with over a 150 million yen in his suitcase.

'This is like a dream. With this I can get rid of those "Nice People."' He lifted the case in front of him.

"For once in my life… I'll have no debt. I won't have to work to live. I can, I can be a normal student. I can hang out with friends for once. I can join a club. I can have a relationship."

Hinagiku's image filled his head and a blush filled his face.

'...Ah, I can't think about her in that way. It'll just be weird when I see her.

The image in his head didn't fade.

"Ah~ stop thinking about her!" He started to slam his head into the suitcase.

* * *

'Good thing I made it back before it started to snow.' Hayate slowly opened the door, surprised that it wasn't locked. He slowly creeped in, making as little noise as possible. Most of the lights were off, he had assumed everyone was asleep. He planned to make himself a cup of tea before retiring for the night. Lugging the suitcase, he walked into the kitchen. He noticed slumped over shoulders covered in a blanket.

"It must be Motoko-san, I feel sorry for making her worry." He walked over to the table and gently nudged her from the back.

"Motoko-san, Motoko-san if you fall asleep her you'll catch a cold." He felt slightly happy that she cared about him so much, that she would wait up for him.

"Hmm~" She raised her head, surprising Hayate. It was Hinagiku. She slowly looked over to him.

"Hayate? What time is it?" She yawned and stretched out her arms. Her pajamas were ruffled, she must have been in that position for quite a while.

"I-It's um, it's 11:45." Hayate stammered. Unlike yesterday where Hinagiku visited him in his room, the Hinagiku now was much more different. She lacked her hair clip and she had a slight bed head, making her hair look much more "wild." At the same time her half awakened state made her seem very vulnerable. This along with the smell of her strawberry shampoo in the air hit Hayate rather hard.

Hayate thoughts about "relationships" that he had before echoed in his mind. He did his best to ignore them.

Still in her half awakened state Hinagiku replied, "It's that late? How far did you go look for a job? Did you at least find one?"

Hayate just stood there, laughing nervously, and rubbing the back of his head. He didn't have the heart to say that he had put her good intentions that morning to waste.

"Eh? You really didn't find a job!" She had snapped out her drowsy state and was now fully awake.

"Sorry, sorry, sorry!" He bowed for every apology.

"…sigh, It was to be expected, especially with your luck." She said as a matter of fact.

"I guess you're ri-, wait I have good news!" He thrust the case onto the table.

"Shh," She had brought her index finger to her mouth. "My mom is asleep, I covered for you and said you had already eaten and went strait to your room."

"S-Sorry about that. But what happened was…"

* * *

5 minutes later

* * *

"What!" The flurry of information had caused her to blow a fuse.

"Hinagikug, calm down, remember your mom is sleeping." He began to mimic her from before the story.

"Ah, sorry. But you're telling me that there is 157 million yen in that suitcase!" She yell/whispered.

"Yeah I'm still in shock."

"But that's understandable, it was Nagi." She closed her eyes and shook her head softly.

Surprised Hayate asked, "You know her?"

"She attends our school. Oh that's right! Your entrance test is in a week."

"Oh I had forgot about that, I had planned to get materials for that test today, but with everything that had happened it slipped my mine. I'll get them tomorrow for sure."

"Oh there's no need for that, you can borrow mine. I'm sure you don't have the money anyway right?"

"No, actually after counting this money It seems that Nagi-san actually miscounted there's a couple extra thousand yen. It should be more than enough and I'll need these materials for school anyway, so there's no point in borrowing yours."

Hinagiku became silent for a moment. "Tomorrow is Saturday right?"

"Um, yes it is. Hmm it might be busy around the shops." Hinagiku became silent again, she glared at the table.

"Ano… Is something on your mind?"

"Ah, no. I, um, I was just wondering. Since you don't really know the shops around here too well, ... do you mind if I join you?"

"EH?" Hayate took a step back, his face flushed. It matched the same color of Hinagiku's face.

"I-It's just because I don't want you to come home late again. My mom was worried tonight. Plus it will go a lot faster with the two of us anyway."

"I, um… If it's okay with you, I don't mind. Thank you for coming." They both focused there attention the floor.

"O-Ok let's leave early and grab breakfast outside. I don't want to deal with my mom in the morning. She'll just misunderstand."

Hayate just nodded as the two slowly and silently walked to their respective rooms.

* * *

Hayate laid on his bed looking up at the ceiling. He didn't get that much sleep that night.

* * *

Hinagiku got into her bed. She snuggled up to it, still feeling embarrassed from before.

'Jeez, why did I half to invite myself like that. Well at least I'll have the opportunity to tell him tomorrow. That's right I have to make sure I tell him. I can't just give up like I did yesterday. This time I'll say it loud and clear.' She squeezed even harder into her pillow.

* * *

Thanks for reading, please review. Next chapter, will Hayate become a "Normal student?" Well he's taking the first step with Hinagiku!

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P.S. I have over 10,000 hits for this story! Thanks for making this the most reviewed story in the Hayate No Gotoku section! As a thank you look forward to a new chapter of the other Hayate No Gotoku story I write, "Hina No Ecchi." Hint: It has to do with chapter chapter 278.


	10. FK ANOTHER AUTHOR NOTE!

Sorry to everyone that thought this was a "Legit" update.

Yeah another note whoo~~~~

Let me just say I am, as of this moment, alive. So this story will go on.

It's just, I just started college. It's awesome and everything, but I'm writing like a paper every week. That takes a lot out of the "writer" in me. I don't have enough stamina to write my papers and put out a good story every couple of weeks, although yeah I haven't put anything up in a while. I'm really am sorry, whenever I get a review that says "please update" it reminds me how much of you want to see how Hayate and Hinagiku develop, actually I do also, I just love those two. Especially Hina... okay kinda going off topic here.

I will write and update when I can. _**This is NOT a hiatus**_, but a warning that things are going slower (wasn't very fast to being with), not to mention I'm moving in a couple days. But rest assured you'll get an update for "Escalating Affections" and hopefully "Hina No Ecchi" this month.

With much love to all my very, very, very patient fans,

-Vene

(P.S. Um I guess this might be a spoiler but, I'm also putting another couple in this series, but I'm trying to figure if it will be using an OC or a character already in the manga.)


	11. Chapter 7 Part 1

I couldn't stand to make you guys wait any longer so I chopped the chapter in half. The second half should be here soon. For some of you saying Hina is a bit OOC. I see it too, but after reading the beginning over again I can see that Hinagiku acted a bit different before she fell in love and started to blush madly whenever she was within 20 feet of Hayate.

* * *

**Chapter 7: Most First Dates Are Awkward, But Even If It It's Not Really A Date, It's Still Awkward**

* * *

*Knock, Knock* Hayate sluggishly opened his eyes. He took a quick look at his surroundings. Again he had to get adjusted to living in that room. But like a bolt of lightning he remembered yesterday night. He recalled a "wild" Hinagiku asking "do you mind if I join you?" His face flushed remembering. *Knock, Knock* He quickly came to the door._ 'Oh no, she said to leave early this is probably Motoko-san'_ He quickly opened the door,

"Sorry Motoko-san , is Hinagiku angry?" His eyes widened when Hina rushed into his room and right into his bed.

"H-Hinagiku?" She wrapped her body in Hayate's comforter.

"B-B-B-B" was the only noise coming from her direction. He took a step closer,

"Ano…" He brought his hands up.

"BAKA!" She yelled as she popped her head out of his covers. He jumped back at her rage, although at the same time blushed at how cute her actions were.

"W-What? I'm sorry!" She tightened the blanket around her.

"It's winter, how long did you expect me to wait outside." She sneezed cutely which made his heart skip a beat.

"S-sorry about that." He looked down in despair. As she stopped shivering she took notice. "Just don't let it happen again." An awkward silence took over the room.

"We should leave before Motoko-San wakes up." She starred at him for a moment.

"Too cold." Again silence fell over the room.

"Well we need to get dressed, and I can't get dressed while you're in here." Again she starred at him for a moment and a devious smile appeared on her face.

"I don't mind." She said as she watched Hayate's nervous spasm. Giggling, she walked passed Hayate, towards the door.

"Hurry up; you shouldn't make a girl wait." She flashed him a smile, which made his heart melt, and proceeded to sprint out his door. After a moment of awe, he began to make his bed. "… It smells like Strawberries."

* * *

Hayate waited at the front door of the house. He was holding the scarf that Hinagiku had given him on the day they met. She came down a few moments later. She had on a brown suede coat, a whit knit cap, and a pair of pink mittens. As she walked towards him the sound of a door opening was heard. She quickly rushed over to him hooked his arm and pulled him out the door. Shortly after Motoko came down the stairs. "Hayate-kun… Hina-chan?" She looked around, and frowned.

* * *

"Sorry about that, but if she caught us before we left… I couldn't live with the embarrassment."

"No don't mention it; we were late because of me anyway." He tried to face forward but his eyes kept drifting of to his arm. She was still locked with him. 'Did she not notice? Wait; is this a signal or something? Um… what do guys do in these situations? Um, um, why don't I watch more TV?"

"Do you mind?"

"Hmm, what, mind what?" He became flustered over her sudden break in silence.

"You're arm, It's just really cold out now. So I hope you don't mind if I borrow you're arm on the way there."

"N-No, I don't mind. It's the least I can do after all you've done for me." It's as if he was choking on his own nervousness.

"Thanks… Hey Hayate?"

"Yes?" Each time she said his name he felt a shiver down his spine.

"You're getting really warm."

"S-Sorry." Pointing it out only made him, especially his face, warmer.

"No, It's nice." She smiled as they walked.

* * *

Not much to say, sorry it's late. But… College.

Because of my English class it has become painfully obvious that I am not the greatest writer ever, shocker._** So I would appreciate it if you guys not only review, but also critique. It can be grammar or story wise. Examples would be: you need more dialogue, less dialogue, OOC, comma mistakes, etc. Thanks a bunch. This well not only help me, but the story as well.**_


	12. Chapter 7 Part 2

Hey guys I got great news! This story is now a… light novel! (Kinda)

For those of you who don't know what a light novel is, a light novel is a novel with an occasional picture, usually one per chapter. So yeah, I got a good friend of to draw an occasional drawing for "Escalating Affections." This won't affect the how fast the chapter comes out. We communicate well enough so that will never be an issue. Please read the author note on the end of the chapter, as I have a lot of story related things to say.

* * *

**_Chapter 7 Part 2: Confessions, maybe?_**

Despite how early the pair left, the train was full of people. The two struggled slightly as Hinagiku still required the warmth of his arm. Weaving through the crowd Hayate was able to find a seat with a little elbow room, which he offered to Hinagiku. As she sat down she moved as far as she could to her side, lightly patting the space next to her. Already holding the rail above his head, Hayate shook his hand and politely refused her offer. With a stress mark pulsating, she quickly pulled his sleeve and in on fluid motion, pulled him into the spot next to her. Considering the spot was enough for one person to sit comfortably the seating arrangement forced Hinagiku and Hayate to press on to one and other. As Hayate awkwardly struggled to get comfortable, he felt Hinagiku's weight shift from a squeeze to a lean. She again claimed his arm for her own and in return she flashed him a smile. A smile that not only made his heart skip, but the hearts of all the other eavesdroppers who had been watching since the couple had squeezed into the train. Their delighted smiles eventually turned to glares as they all began to share a common thought. "What a lucky bastard!" These glared did not faze the two in the slightest, as Hinagiku sat in her quiet cheerfulness and Hayate struggled to sort out his feelings.

* * *

As the two reached their stop, the ambience formed in the small space traveled with them as they squeezed out of the train car. Their destination wasn't too far from the station. In a few blocks they reached a large department store selling the various items Hayate need for studying. Being here only a few weeks before, Hinagiku quickly sped up the searching and shopping process. They stepped out of the store at noon.

"That was a lot quicker than expected." He held up his bags, containing various books, utensils, and notebooks.

She smiled and in return said, "Of course, I work with our Senseis all the time, not to mention my sister. So it would only be natural if I had memorized all of the books and materials we use."

"I see that you take your job a student council president very seriously. I have to admit, that position suits your personality perfectly."

"Eh? What do you mean by that?" She was hesitant on whether to accept it as an insult or a compliment.

"You are the most helpful, confident, and kindest person I've met. And I've only known you for a few days." He laughed slightly. "I can't think of any other person who would take in someone that they've never met before."

It was his turn to flash a smile. Hinagiku's face flushed a bright crimson as she looked in the opposite direction.

"Actually, Hayate… I… um need to tell you something. Something I probably should have told you the first night we met. I um… actually-" He glanced at her as she swiftly fell silent. Her eyes shot a cold stare strait a head. He glanced at the direction of her gaze but saw nothing out of the ordinary.

"Ano, Hinagiku? Is something-" Before he could finish Hinagiku tightened her grip on his arm and ran with all her might, her gaze at the ground the whole time. After the silent sprint the two ended up in the middle of a department store. Staying silent the whole time, Hayate mind was sprouting a torrent of questions. Hinagiku was still on alert, scanning the surrounding area as she caught her breath. He watched her silently as he tried to decipher her actions.

'This is the second time she's tried to tell me something. Why did she stop? Maybe it's because we were surrounded by so many people. Does that mean it's something personal? What could it be?' He closed his eyes, and began to think of what she was trying to tell him. He tried to recall of his pass encounters with her. Her pure smile, her declared ownership of his arm, her blush, and all of her kind words flowed into his mind. His face flushed, and he quickly covered it with his hand. 'No, it can't be! But it explains it all! Maybe it was at first sight? Well it's not impossible, it's happened to me too.' He sighed. 'C-C-Could she have feelings for me?'

As Hayate sorted out his feelings Hinagiku calmed down. She turned to her confused housemate.

"Are you okay?" She tugged on his sleeve triggering a spastic jump on his end.

"I'm fine, I'm fine! I was going to ask you the same though. Why did we just sprint into this store?" He tried to avoid direct eye contact.

"I, um, I just wanted to go shopping. I just don't want to go outside yet." She smiled lightly and held the nape of her neck.

Hayate's mind immediately formed a flow chart.

_**{Doesn't want to go home}**__**{Wants to spend time with him}→{She likes him} **_

His crimson evolved to the point that steam started to burst out of his face. She bent over to see his face.

"Is that all right with you?" She coupled her troubled words with a pout, a pout so cute that it should have been labeled as a lethal weapon, as it pierced his heart like an arrow.

As he clenched his hand over his heart, Hayate stammered, "Y-Yes, of course! Let's go! I didn't want to go home either, and since we're so far out we should enjoy ourselves." He dragged her along to the clothe section of the store.

* * *

The two eventually migrated to the men's section of the store.

"Good thing we're here. You can't keep wearing my dad's old clothes forever. How much money do you have left after buying those school supplies?"

"I have about 50,000 yen left." (A little less then $500)

"Man, Nagi sure did stuff a lot of extra cash into it." A sweat drop formed in the back of her head. The two began to shop for Hayate. Hinagiku didn't bring up the issue again, even though they were alone, which confused Hayate to no end.

'Well for now I'll just let it all go.' He glanced over to her comparing two shirts. 'I'll try to sort it out when we get home.'

* * *

"I'm going to go try these on now." Taking his stack of clothes, he departed toward the dressing room.

She waved at him as he walked away, but she began to smile slyly as an idea popped into her head.

"Hey, Hayate?" She walked towards him, holding her arms down behind her back, swaying them back and forth.

"Yes?" He turned his head around slightly.

"Do you need any help?" She stood in front of him and gradually stepped closer.

"What do you mean by that?" He started to feel uneasy with each step that she took.

"I meant, do you need any help changing?" She stopped a step away from Hayate, but when she saw his reaction she smiled slyly again, and began to invade his personal space. In a moment her face was only a few inches away from his. He began to tremble and blush every shade of red at once. But much to his disarray she didn't stop closing the distance between the two. In a matter of moments her lips were inches away, yet her eyes were still open. He began to feel her body heat more and more. Inch by inch, she closed the gap between them. Not knowing what to do he closed his eyes sharply and waited for whatever she was planning on doing. For a moment nothing happened, until he felt the heat disappear. He opened his eyes slowly, to see Hinagiku struggling to hold her laugh in. He blinked twice as he stood there like a statue, barely able to mutter, "Eh?"

* * *

She released a flood of laughter. In between her gasps for air she tried to talk. "You… should have… seen your… your…" But she couldn't finish her sentence.

The present situation hit him in waves. He effortlessly switched from confused, to embarrassed and finally to angry.

"That was mean Hinagiku!" He almost threw his clothes at her.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." She began to wipe the tears out of her eyes. "I don't know what came over me. I didn't plan to go that far, but then you started to act like a middle schooler. Is it possible this is the first time you've been out with a girl?" Hayate thought about it for a moment, she was right, although he didn't want to admit it. He just ignored her and walked towards the dressing room.

"Ah, Hayate! I said I was sorry, don't be like that. Come on it was just a joke." She began to pout as he silently walked into the dressing room. She sighed as she crossed her arms and began to lean against the wall.

Hayate leaned against the same wall inside the dressing room. 'What, what was that!' He took of his shirt and tossed it to the side.

'Now I can add teasing to the list of memories I have of her. But, that still doesn't deter the "she might like me" idea.' He sighed. As he choose a shirt he heard a quick creak and a slam. It came from behind him. He slowly turned around. To his surprise it was the confusing pink haired girl. She sighed and turned around; she jumped back at the sight of his toned chest.

"What, what are you doing!" She started to throw clothes on top of him.

"I don't need any help, I thought you were kidding. Why are you in here!" Both of their faces flushed as Hayate was buried underneath his clothes.

"That's not why I'm here!" She kept looking down. "I am here because I um… this is going to make me seem weird." She looked at him and took a large gulp.

'I-Is she going to confess now, here of all places?" Hayate thought. He swiftly put on the closet shirt, as he awaited her words.

It took a few moments for her to regain her composure. "I'm in here because-" A light knock interrupted her. She was so surprised by it she leapt forward, right into his chest. Her arms were squeezed between their two chests as she pressed her weight on to him. Oddly enough the two kept eye contact the whole time, as a mutual blush crept on to their faces.

"Ano, excuse me? Is anyone in there?" A female voice came from the other side of the door.

She shook her head, as she mouthed the words, "Do something," to him. Confused and flustered Hayate was barely able to utter, "Occupied," as he kept peering into her eyes.

"Oh, sorry. I guess you were wrong. It was a guy's voice." The girl seemed to have company.

"I could have sworn I saw her." A different girl said, as they walked away.

Hinagiku let out a loud sigh of relief after the girls walked away. She looked back up to Hayate, who had been in the same position ever since she jumped towards him. Finally realizing the position they were in, she jumped backward, brining her arms up in a defensive position.

"Sorry about that." Slowly her gaze fell to the ground as an awkward silence enveloped the both. Without saying anything she left the room and slowly shut the door. It would be a while before Hayate started to move.

* * *

It took quite some time until Hayate exited the dressing room. Hinagiku was still resting her back along the wall. They quickly glanced at each other, and just as quickly looked away. Although it took a while, Hinagiku was the first to break the silence.

"So did you like any of those clothes?" It was obvious that she was trying to forget the previous incident, but the slight blush on her face was hard to ignore.

"Y-yeah, a couple of the shirts you picked out were nice." It was evident that Hayate was having more trouble ignoring the "Flag." Eventually they went back to shopping, and after a while the situation diffused. Hinagiku began to smile as they shopped around and eventually so did Hayate.

* * *

"I think these are enough clothes for now. I should keep the rest of the money as insurance, at least until I find a job." Hayate held 2 bags of clothes, most of which were chosen by Hinagiku. The 3rd bag, contained his school supplies and a small box with a ribbon. It had taken some careful timing but Hayate was able to sneak it pass her while at the register. Afterwards the two gradually arrived to the women section of the store. Although Hayate knew the two would ultimately make it to this side, he still felt a tad uncomfortable. Unlike Hinagiku, who was comfortable selecting men's clothing, Hayate was nowhere near as helpful. Besides answering a few questions here and there, he slowly became a shopping cart. He simply held onto all the clothes Hinagiku selected. Though he didn't mind. In fact he found the whole experience quite calming. He didn't have any memories as pleasant as the current one. He spent most of his youth working, performing jobs he was too young for.

'Living without the burden of debt feels really different. I can enjoy simple pleasures like this.' He gazed a Hinagiku as she held a dress up to her body, looking into a mirror. A smile crept on to his face. He hadn't noticed it but, he had spent the last 3 days thinking about here.

'Even if she didn't confess, I would be okay with the current situation. I wish every day could be like this. Heck, I would even put up with her occasional teasing.'

"I think that should do it for me." She handed him another dress. "Let's go get something to eat, we haven't eaten all day." The two walked towards the counter, but before they could make their purchase a familiar voice called out to them.

"Hina-Chan!" It was the voice of the girl who knocked on the dressing room door. The purple haired girl ran up and hugged Hinagiku, who was looking rather flustered upon the sudden embrace. Upon closer inspection she was accompanied by two other girls, one with long light blue hair and a headband that exposed her forehead, the other had short brown hair.

"W-what are you guys doing here?" Hayate found it odd to see her so nervous.

"We're just killing time, what about you?" The trio stared at the two for a moment, mostly at Hayate. "Wait, are you on a date with that poor looking boy over there." The blue haired girl put heavy emphasis on the word "poor," sending an arrow of pain strait through his heart.

Hinagiku tripped over her words as she tried to deny all accusations. "Of course not, I-I'm just shopping. He a, he just works here. I'm fine from here, thank you for the help." She turned around and took the clothes out of Hayate's hands. As she looked up to him she mouthed the words, "I'm sorry," and turned back to her friends.

Understanding the situation Hayate walked away solemnly, back into the women's section, far enough so that they couldn't see him. Leaning against the wall, he tossed his bags to the side. He waited a bit before looking back at them. Hinagiku had purchased her clothes and was departing the store with the trio. She looked back for Hayate, but she couldn't find before her friends dragged her out of the store.

Although he was confused he was mostly saddened by her sudden departure. However before any real feelings could set in, a young lady asked for his help. She saw him help Hinagiku at the counter, and although it was not his job, he didn't seem any harm in helping her. Not too long after another lady asked for his help. It wasn't long until Hayate was practically working in the women's section. After a while the manager noticed all the happy customers leaving the women section. And after seeing Hayate in action he quickly offered him a job. Delighted by the sudden offer, he graciously accepted.

* * *

The moon shined through the clouds as Hayate left the store. He had spent the past hour in the front, but she still hadn't returned. Sighing as he exited, Hayate began to march towards the train station. He kept his gaze low. His vacant eyes were fixed on the box held out in front of him.

'Why did I buy this again?' A few snowflakes landed on top of the ribboned package. 'This was supposed to be a thank you gift, but now, it doesn't feel like I can give this to her." He brushed of the snow and slid the box into his coat pocket. Before he knew it, he had already walked to the train station. He slowly glanced around, but she wasn't there. Depressed, he walked in, but suddenly the train station became drenched in darkness as he felt a cold chill cover his eyes.

Before he could react a warm breath enveloped his ear, "Guess who?"

He turned around slowly coming face to face with Hinagiku smile, but he didn't react. He simply walked into the train and sat down. Hinagiku's smile turned into a pout. She timidly took the seat next to the boy, in the empty train car.

Three stops had flown by, but neither party broke the silence. Hinagiku had tried to several times, but it was as if she forgot how to talk. She opened her mouth only to shut it a moment later and look away. Eventually the couple made it to their stop. Hayate walked out of the train the same way he entered. Hinagiku followed closely. The snow had reached their neighborhood earlier and thin blanket had covered the sidewalk. Hayate's pace was slow, but Hinagiku's was inconsistent as she was either a few paces ahead or a few paces behind. It wasn't long before she snapped.

"Hayate! What's wrong? You haven't said a thing! I'm sorry I abandoned you a while ago, but-"

"It's my fault." His interruption stopped her dead in her tracks. "I'm sorry, I just don't know what to say." He had stopped walking, but still faced the other direction.

"I know what you said was true, we aren't really friends." He gaze kept to the ground.

"I was being selfish to think that we were friends or anything, we've only known each other for a few days." He swallowed hard.

"At this point, you're just my benefactor. That's the only relationship we-"

"We're friends!" It was her turn to interrupt. "At least that's what I feel." Although she little red, her face was surprisingly serious.

He turned around slowly. "But,"

"The reason I said all that is," she sighed heavily, "my friends are very… devious. Whenever something happens, especially with the opposite sex, they won't hesitate to use it against me." She placed her palm on her forehead as she shook her head. "I just wanted them to meet you at school first, and get to know you before all the jokes. I'm really sorry If I hurt you."

His eyes finally met hers. He began to process what she said and slowly became aware of how immature he was acting. A blush slowly enveloped his cheeks, and his mouth began to tremble. He quickly kneeled in the other direction and buried his face into his hands.

She giggled as she leaned onto his back. "Hayate… you know, it's okay to be a little selfish. You can want things, assume things, and make mistakes. You… don't have to take care of you parent's anymore… you can act… a little spoiled."

He brought his head up. "How did you know-"

"Okay!" She quickly stood up. "Hayate, I… I'm going to tell you something I should have told you that night you moved in." Her sudden seriousness caught him off guard.

'Wait! Could this be a confession? Wait, no, no, she said we we're friends. I shouldn't assume…' Her previous words echoed in his mind. '…' He slowly pulled the box out of his pocket and held it behind his back.

chibilaura(dot)deviantart(dot)com/#/d33erla  
_**(Please place link above into another tab replacing (dot)s with a period)**_

"That night we met…, that wasn't the first time we met."

"I LIKE-… wait what?" His loud declaration turned into a quiet whimper.

"We had met a few months before." She smiled as she explained her recollection.

"I was walking home after work a few weeks ago, I work part time at a small café. I had just received my paycheck right before leaving. Suddenly someone on a motorcycle snatched my bag. I chased after him as hard as I could but it was no use. I was so angry, I couldn't even put it into words. But as I continued my walk home I came across a boy. He had spent the last 2 hours trying to find the owner of a bag. Apparently he had witnessed the robbery but by the time he had retrieved the bag he was too far away to find the victim."

As she talked the event flashed into his mind like it was yesterday.

"He was working too as it happened. Those two hours made him late for his delivery, costing him his job. I asked him if I could make up for it. He refused my offer, saying "That money is the crystallization of your hard work. No one has the right to take it away. Don't worry I can always find another job." Without even a second glance he just rode away." Hayate clearly remembered that day, and he couldn't imagine how he forgot her face.

"That why I helped that night, because you showed me what true kindness is." She flashed him her smile again, a sight he would never get sick of.

* * *

The rest of the walk home was silent, but it was a warm silence. The two returned to the house arm in arm. But before they could take three steps Hinagiku's mother (Named Motoko in this FF) quickly confronted the two.

"Hina-chan your so sly! Talking Hayate-kun all for yourself! She quickly hooked on to his other arm."

"I didn't take him we just went to buy some things!" Motoko quickly eyed Hinagiku's arm. Causing her to jump off of Hayate. "D-Don't misunderstand it was just c-cold outside!" She grabbed her half of the bags and stormed to the stairs. "Jeez, I'll see you tomorrow Hayate." Her smile had a bit of anger in it, but it pulled his heartstrings just the same.

* * *

Hayate had bathed and retired to his room. He sat in his bed looking out the window, Hinagiku's lights we're still on.

"I can't believe I forgot about that time. I can't believe I forgot about her face. That first smile is still burned into my memories." His smile slowly turned. "But if that's all true, then she's really just returning a favor." The flowchart from before shattered in his mind. He sat in the same position for few minutes. He stood up and put on some casual clothes. He slowly walked out of his room.

He threw her scarf over his neck. "I need to clear my head."

* * *

Thanks for reading. I got a lot of things to say/ questions/ things need help with. So for the sake of difficulty here is a bullet point list.

How do you guys feel about the length of this chapter? Too long or too short? I think I'm going to make this the "usual" length of a chapter.

How do you feel about the pictures, not the quality, but the Idea?

Is putting the link for the pic against the site's rules, I read them over and I don't think it is but I'm not positive on that.

I'm trying a different style now, one the uses a lot lest dialogue. It's actually a lot easier to write like that. I also learned a few more tips for writing, most of which I couldn't use in this chapter, because I learned them recently.

If you can, could you continue to critique my story, leaving out all issues dealing with spelling and grammar please? (Unless it becomes a big issue)

I am aware that I have broken the rule of posting "author notes" and I shall take care of that matter. I will be replacing the two notes with short stories. If you have read my other story "Hina no Ecchi" then I would appreciate the help. Could you post a romantic scenario between two characters, preferably not using Hayate or Hinagiku. Example: "Wataru and Sakuya are trapped in a hot spring" It should be that level of description.

If you could answer some, or all of those questions in a review it would be VERY VERY helpful in writing future chapters. Thanks to One Time Dancer, ColinatorGX, Kurush Wuzung, and Lord Edric. I tried to keep all of your reviews in mind while I was writing. Please keep the reviews/critiques coming.

Thank you for reading and Happy Thanksgiving!

_ Vene~_


	13. Chapter 8 Part 1

To be honest, I have this on my computer a month after I wrote the last chapter... and I really didn't want to split it up. Sorry for not posting anything for like a... year. I also have a have written chapter of Hina No Ecchi too. (It might be a good idea to reread the previous chapter, as it directly connects to this one.)

Chapter 8: Studying is easy... in manga...

Although the past two weeks flew by, each day was a priceless memory for Hayate. Besides the weekends every day followed the same schedule. Hayate and Hinagiku woke up around the same time and prepared for their respective day. On the better days, Hayate would be awakened be Hinagiku's smiling face. Leaving him smitten throughout the day. After breakfast the pair left the house, Hayate for work, and Hinagiku for school. Hayate usually arrived home an hour before Hinagiku, as her responsibilities as student counsel president required her to stay longer than the average student. Occasionally thy would walk home from the train station together, idly chatting while receiving the glares of men and women filled to the brim with envy. On the less lucky day, Hayte took this extra time to self study or occasionally to help Motoko with chores. After a arriving Hinagiku quickly "freshened up" before she began to oversee his studies. After dinner, and sometimes a little TV, the two would resume studying. Although Hayate appreciated her help, he wished she was more aware. She would constantly lean on him or grab his arm while she was teaching/explaining to him. Even though each occurrence pulled on his heartstrings, this wasn't the time for such emotions. This was his only shot to get into her school.

* * *

Two weeks earlier:

* * *

Hayate eventually made it to a late night ramen stall, the night the went shopping.

"Ha ha, had a craving for some ramen boy?" Said the owner.

"…Yeah." He lifted the tarp as he walked under it. He kept his gaze low as he ordered. Like a flash there was a steaming bowl on the table. Hayate looked up to offer his thanks but was shocked by the bald man in front of him. It was no other than Iwoa Yuudai (See Chapter 4 Part 2) standing before him. His large stature almost gave the appearance of large animal trapped in a small cage, but the smile on his face said otherwise.

"Ha ha, I didn't expect to see you here Aiasaki-san!" Again, Hayate felt that Iwoa was yelling at him with his booming voice, but he new that his inside voice.

"Likewise, but what are you doing working at a ramen bar, so late at night." He cupped his hands in front of his mouth and slowly exhaled.

"Oh, I was fired yesterday." Hayate coughed up a fit.

"W-Why? What happened!" Hayate slammed his hand on the counter as he stood up.

"Well according to me boss, fighting ruffians is not something done inside the café." He held his arms up in confusion. "Well I'm fine with it, I've always wanted to be a ramen chief!" He set a bowl of ramen in front of Hayate, "First bowl is on me!"

Hayate found his eccentric screaming to be a little out of place this late at night, but he graciously accepted the bowl. From the first bite to the last he was entranced by the taste. The Noodles were plump; the broth was perfectly seasoned and balanced perfectly with the meat. He was quite literally brought to tears. Hayate quietly ate his noodles, savoring every bite. Iwoa took to the used bowls that littered his sink.

The light snow had finally dispersed, and the moon came out of its blanket of clouds. Bathed in the moonlight, Hayate decided that it his was time for his departure, and promptly stood up.

"Thank you for the meal Yuudai-san, I'll be sure to come here whenever I'm in the mood for ramen." He was lifted the tarp to pass under it.

"Wait Aiasaki-san." Iwoa turned around and looked into his eyes. "Do you want me to believe that you just left your house past midnight because you had a taste for ramen? Do you think I am that naïve?" His usually glare enhanced ten-fold. "Helping boys on the path to manhood is the duty of all men. I couldn't live with myself if I let you leave with that confused look on your face." Seeing him talk in such a low voice chilled Hayate to his core.

"W-Well Yuudai-san, I um... I have, um girl troubles." An embarrassed blush emerged on his face. Iwoa's stare held for a moment, only to morph into an unsettling smile.

"Is that all, well sit back down. I was quite the player when I was your age. Haha!"

'I find that a little hard to believe' Thought Hayate, as he sat down.

"So, Aiasaki-san, ask away!" He seemed very eager to help.

Hayate sighed deeply, his frozen breath hung in the air as he began his tale.

* * *

"That is a peculiar predicament," He paused for a moment, then swiftly smacked the side of Hayate's head, "THIS is the dream of all young men! How dare you call living with the love of your life a problem!" Iwoa quickly downed his beer, slamming it's empty shell on the table.

"I-I don't love her! I just…" He slumped over, "I think about her all the time and my heart skips a beat when she's near." He began to bury his flushed face into his arms.

"Aiasaki-san, you are very… feminine." He chuckled.

Hayate could only laugh nervously, "I've been told that a lot."

"So then, what's the problem?"

Hayate began to fiddle with the unopened beer that Iwoa forced onto him. "It's not so much as a problem it's just, disheartening to find out that she doesn't like me, after everything that happened. I guess I just wasn't used to that kind of attention so I thought selfishly."

"So?" Iwoa said bluntly. "It wasn't love at first sight, rarely does god grace us with that scenario." He opened his second beer. "If it didn't happen then make it happen. That's a man's duty. Don't expect the world to do everything for you, if anything _you_ should know the value of hard work."

Hayate starred at his beer. "Yeah… you're right. I don't know what I was thinking. I'll give it my all." He flashed his trademark smile back at Iwoa.

"Not good enough." Iwoa crushed his beer in his hand. "If you're really serious then let me hear your resolve."

He sat there pondering the meaning of his words. But as soon as he did he stood up with gusto. "I will give it my all." He said with a loud, stern voice.

"Louder!"

"I WILL MAKE HER FALL FOR ME!" Hayate was easily caught up in the exciment, as he gripped Iwoa's hand with all of his force. The two stared into each others eyes making a connection only men could make.

"Excuse me." The pair was approached by a middle-aged women donned with a robe. "My husband has work in the morning, so if you wouldn't mind."

"We're so sorry." They said in unison, while bowing.

* * *

*Poke*

'Hm? What is this, something is poking my cheek.' Half asleep Hayate began to lazily swat in front of his face.

*Poke*

Unconsciously Hayate pulled the covers over his face.

*Poke* *Poke* *Poke*

Fed up, Hayate threw of his cover and sat up with all his might. Slowly his sight opened to meet a pair of amber eyes staring right back . Hinagiku nonchalantly sat on top of his legs as was leaning towards his face at the moment.

Although shocked beyond words Hayate stared back into her eyes for a minute before calmly asking her "What are you doing?"

With the same amount of composure, she sat back up. "Oh, I was just, you know wanted to see your sleeping face."

"Oh, I see.., well I need get up and make my bed, so if you don't mind…"

"Oh, of course not." She promptly got of off him and slipped her slippers back on. "Well breakfast is ready, so don't take too long." She flashed him a quick smile and walked back into her house.

Slowly he grabbed his pillow and began to bury his face into it furiously releasing a muffled scream.

* * *

Hinagiku shut the door behind her and began to lean on it.

"Sigh, I can't believe he woke up. What was trying to do?" She began to burry her face into her hands.

"Hina-chan? Did you wake up Hayate-kun?" Motoko asked, as she set the table. "You were out there a while…" Slowly a smirk crept onto her face as she began to understand the story. "You didn't fall asleep in his bed did you?"

"O-Of course I didn't!" She threw her arms down fiercely.

"Don't worry about, all guys dream about waking up to the face of a beautiful girl." Her blush exploded at the comment.

Eying her expression Motoko, leaned over the table. "Wait, did you?" Her smile evolved into one that could rival the Cheshire.

"I-I um I-I, MOU~ Okaa-san!" She sprinted up stairs.

* * *

"Oh, Hayate I forgot to tell you." Hinagku said as she handed Hayate a wet plate to dry.

"Hmm? What is it?" He began to put the dry dishes away.

"You remember those girls, when we went shopping?"

"Oh, yes. If I remember correctly there were 3 of them. Why do you ask?"

"Well, yesterday they invited themselves over." Her sigh was accompanied by a light face palm.

"Oh so I guess… I should just go around the town for today."

"Wait, Hayate you can accompany me today." Motoko flashed him a bright smile, as she hooked arms with him.

"Wait you can't do that." Hinagiku pried herself in between the two, and pushed them away from eachother. "Hayate has the entrance exam tomorrow. He needs to study."

Motoko waked away defeated. "Mou~ you're so stingy Hina-chan."

"Heh, then I guess I'll just stick to my room today and study."

"I'm sorry, I just don't want them to know you're living her yet, they'll gossip like crazy and some weird rumors will appear even before you enroll."

"No, it's fine. I wouldn't want to cause any trouble." He smiled at her softly.

She smiled back, and took a step forward, ending up right in front of him. "Don't worry we're still friends." She tilted her head slightly and leaned in closer.

At first Hayate thought this was her normal teasing, until he realized there was sarcasm in her words.

"O-Of course we are!" He began to storm off in embarrassment to the sound of Hinagiku's giggle.

"Eh what do you mean? Did you two have a fight?" Motoko wore the face of a worried child, which surprisingly fit her image.

"Oh it's nothing." Hinagiku walked away swaying back in forth with a slight giggle. Motoko looked to Hayate, who was trying to bury his blush into his palm.

"... Why don't I get to have any fun..." Motoko said, as she pouted.

* * *

I'll try to make an effort to write more. As I said, please do not worry. The only way this will go unfinished is if I... die? Yeah, um death is probably the only thing. If I don't write for a while please do not hesitate to private message me and be all like "Yo, you need to write... like now..." To be honest I wouldn't have uploaded this if I didn't get that last pm. So please critique and review, it not only helps me become a better writer, it drives me to write more. Because to be honest when I say that "130 reviews" next to my story I started to write the next part. I'll see if I can get another picture for the next chapter, cause that chapter is pretty juicy... go lovecom!

(p.s. how would you all feel about a separate story, about Hayate and Hinagiku of course, that just featured short love drabbles set in this universe? About 2-4 paragraphs as story. I would rather not post them in this story, because the chapter amount would shoot through the roof, deterring many new readers. I would guarantee that this new story would be updated on a weekly basis, because it would be me just writing down my love comedy fantasies that I'm always thinking about anyway. This also would not affect how fast this story is put out. I will be replacing the previous author's note, which I have since learned are against the rules, with these types of stories. So look out for those soon.)


	14. Chapter 8 Part 2

Arise from the dead! So did you guys hear that they have confirmed season 3 of "Hayate No Gotoku?" I really hope they cover the "vacation arc" and the "end of the world" arc. So in preperation for writing this I've started to reread the manga and rewatch the second season of the anime. And I got to say, Hinagiku really is a tease. Well on with the story...

* * *

_**Chapter 8 Part 2: You can find flags all around if you try!**_

It wasn't long before Hayate needed to isolate himself into his room. The trio of friends appeared quickly and secluded themselves into Hinagiku's Room. Although occasional fits of laughter and yelling could be heard from her room, Hayate decided to ignore it and prepare for the impending battle tomorrow afternoon. 'It's not like they could be talking about me,' He thought. He would not let Hinagiku and His efforts go to waste, even if he spent a majority of their study time reminding himself not to stare at her.

It wasn't long before the sun began to set and its light would no longer be his ally in studying. Without hesitating Hayate stood up and switched his light from the off position to the on, and continued his mental training. It also wasn't long before someone noticed a light on in a room that was supposed to be uninhabited.

"Hina-chan, why is the light on in your spare bedroom?" Asked Izumi, as she clichely held a peace of pocky in her mouth.

"The light?" Said Hina, "Oh, I think Onee-Chan was there earlier, she must have forgot to turn it off. I'll be right back." Without even a second Hina was able to masterfully cover up the whole situation.

"She probably went back to see if she left any booze." Risa added jokingly.

"That, or to check if she had left any money in her sheets... to buy booze." Said Miki as the trio laughed together. Not too far away a teacher sneezed, thinking that her students were speaking of her fondly.

Hina quickly walked down the stairs not minding that her three friends were constantly insulting her older sister. But before leaving the kitchen she quickly grabbed an apple making sure they Hayate could make it to dinner. She nonchalantly walked to Hayate's room and made sure to open the door without knocking, in case someone was looking at her.

"Hayate~?" She cutely said his name as she slid in, but much to both parties dismay Hina was greeted by Hayate, shirtless, and in the process of removing his pants. The apple which was intended to provide sustenance to Hayate soon did the opposite as it thrusted into his abdomen.

"W-What are you doing! Why are you taking your clothes off, what if someone else opened the door!" Hinagiku's wild blush began to blend in with her hair as her aura was set a blaze.

"S-Sorry, It just got a bit colder and I was changing into some fluffier clothes." Hayate was leaning over with one hand on his trembling stomach. "I-It's still winter you know." He began to put on the rest of his clothes. Hinagiku rubbed the back of her head as she began regret her actions.

"So, what are you doing here Hinagiku? Your friends still haven't left yet, right?"

"They were asking why the light was on in a room that was supposed to be empty? Also," Hinagiku looked around a bit and retrieved her ammunition, "I was seeing if you were hungry." She dusted it off on her shirt and triumphantly held out the apple.

"T-Thanks." He cautiously accepted her gift and set it on the table. Hinagiku glanced over at his table, it had three notebooks on top next to the study guide for Hakuou.

"By the way, how far are you with your studying?" She began to flip through his books. Every page was filled with writing and math equations. In fact all three notebooks were the same. He eyes fixated on Hayate.

"D-Did you finish the study guide!" Her mouth slightly agape.

"Well... actually I finished it 3 times."

"Three times!" Awestruck, Hinagiku eyes were wide she and thrusted her arms downward. "It somewhat challenging just to do it once." Hayate like always just rubbed the back of his head as she complimented him. "Oh, but this one right here is wrong." She circled the part and held it up to his eye level.

"What, but I even used the reference-" Somewhere far off a door slam interrupted them. Without even blinking Hinagiku rushed forward into Hayate knocking them both into the closet. She quickly turned around and shut the door.

"H-Hinagiku-" Her hand covered his mouth as she shushed his stammering.

"They're coming." She whispered. Just as she slid the door open slightly to see the door opened and the three girls came shuffling in.

"Hmm... Hina's not here?" Izumi said as she took a seat on the bed.

"Maybe her mom sent her on an errand or something." Miki joined her on the bed.

"You know, this really doesn't seem like sensei's room. It's too clean." Risa completed the trio.

"Wow these girls really don't mind making themselves comfortable." Hayate whispered to Hinagku, who at the moment was angrily glaring at her friends were shamelessly walking about her house.

"Why are they still here?" She whispered back.

"I guess we should just wait back in her room then." Risa said, although her actions did not match her words as she began to rummage through Hayate's desk. Her brow raised as held up a box with a ribbon on it. "Oh, what is this." She turned and showed the box to her two companions.

"An old christmas gift? Oh what's inside it? Is it Katsura-Chan's?" Izumi's eyes lit up.

"She probably bought it for some crush she had, but couldn't give it to him when he rejected her." Said Miki slowly opening the box. Again, a certain teacher sneezed and thought fondly of the students that were talking to her.

"He-" Hayate began to yell but was quickly silenced by Hinagiku placing both of her hands over his mouth from behind.

"What are you doing!" She grabbed his mouth and pulled the back of his head into her chest. Hayate could not describe glorious feeling going down the back of his head and neck, for a moment he was at bliss. At the same time he was adamant about not letting anyone see the contents of the box, especially Hinagiku.

"Stop struggling, They're right about to leave." Despite her warning Hayate still struggled forward, at least far enough so Hinagiku couldn't see outside the closet.

"Well this doesn't seem like the thing to get a boy, unless it was a very feminine one." Miki said, putting the box back in the drawer. "We can always ask her tomorrow." The trio opened the door and proceeded out of the room. As if connected by wire, the instant the door closed Hinagiku and Hayate fell out of the closet, Hayate chest down with Hinagiku right on top of him. He exhaled a sigh of relief as the box was put back into its original place. But his relief quickly disappeared as he turned around his eyes were met with Hinagiku's glare. Again the two mimicked a mother scolding a child who had done something wrong. But it wasn't long before her glare melted into a smile and then into a fit of laughter.

"We always get caught in these situations." She said in between fits of laughs. Hayate couldn't help joining her.

"At least it's never dull." He said smiling ear to ear. The spent a while laughing, forgetting thier troubles.

* * *

Eventually the trio of friends went to their respective homes. After dinner the two returned to Hayate's room for studying as part of their routine.

"You should be fine tomorrow as long as you remember to keep calm." Hinagiku said, as she opened the door.

"Thank you, hopefully I won't let you down." Hayate said, shaking his fist upward with confidence. "If anything this might be the easiest thing I've done in a while." His proclamation was accompanied by a nervous laugh as memories of fighting robots and getting chased by the Yukaza flashed into his mind.

"Just keep that confidence up." She winked to him closing the door behind her.

Hayate let out a strong sight as he sat onto his bed. "I just hope nothing bad happen tomorrow." He said to himself, although he knew that hoping may just be useless.

* * *

A little short mind you but the next chapter is a long one, and I've written a good chunk of it, and my friend is drawing a drawing for it Huzzah! I'll try getting that out next week. Thank you for everyone that is reading and reviewing and putting up with my lack of update, sorry! Not gonna lie, this chapter isn't that good. But it was somewhat necessary. The next chapter, in terms of plot and fluff, is amazing compared to this one so get hyped.

-Vene

p.s. Follow me on twitter? KoiVene I post a lot about Hayate No Gotoku, cause I'm rereaidng and watching it at the moment. :3


	15. Short 3

So I guess rather than upload to my shorts fan-fiction I should just post these shorts in the main story anyway since I try to keep them canon and all. Again I must apologize for the lack of updates. I have several other projects that take precedence over this one, such as my podcast, let's plays, 3d animation, a comic, trying to find a job, summer classes, and a decent social life. I'll try to make a big chapter update before the summer is over. The current "Story" chapter is about half way done and is in the length of chapter 7, so it's pretty long by my standards. Also it should have a new picture too.

~Best Regards

* * *

Short 3: Sleeping Face

* * *

It was a rare site. Usually her face is painted with emotion, her infectious happiness, her adorable laugh, her equally as adorable glare, or her promiscuous smirk. But at the moment Hayate had a private show of her least seen face. Hinagiku gently slept on top of his covers, no more than two meters away. She lay there completely unguarded, sporting pajamas with a heart motif. Laying, almost as if she floated ever so slightly above the blanket. Her rhythmic breathing only occasionally broken by a slight moan or the rustle of the sheets. For a while the world was still, Hayate could not focus, nor did he even attempt to focus, on another thing. Every moment was a masterfully painted picture, each outclassing the prior. The way her eyes closed gently almost as if feathers had fallen on top of two beautiful gems of amber. Her lips painted with a natural pink the would become the envy of roses. Her strawberry hair laid softly to her side, as a few stray strands graced the tip of her nose to her lips. To say that the site caused his heart to skip a beat would be an understatement, for at this point his heart may have stopped along with time itself.

A ring went off, stopping Hayate's already frozen heart. Although he had not heard it often he immediately recognized it as Hinagiku's ringtone. The beautiful painting that lay before him began to rise up. Hinagiku raised her hands over her head as she began to stretch. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes she slowly slumped over to his desk, resting one hand on his shoulder.

"How far did you get?" She ended her question with a quite yawn, while placing her her palm before her mouth.

"How far?" Hayate was not fully aware of her question as he was soaking in another rare site, the still sleepy pink haired maiden.

"Yeah, I gave you an hour to see how far you could get in the practice exam, you should have at least gotten through halfway." She pulled his notebook closer. The scolding began, although it was another site Hayate was used to, it wasn't his favorite.


End file.
